Hi.

Aug 8 Second Nature Botanicals: Cleaning My Home The Right Way

I’m a bit of a nutter in many ways (just ask my husband), but one thing that really sets me apart from the norm, is my love for cleaning. When I was little, mum used to have parents ring to invite me for playdates, because their house was messy. They knew after a few hours of me being there, it would be clean. Conversations about vacuum cleaners and laundry detergents enthral me, and when I’m stressed or anxious, I clean to calm down and feel happy again.

With all this considered, the products I use to clean, are super important to me. And of course, our house is chemical free. I’ve been on a journey for the past few years, finding products that fit my eco values, but also get the job done by fulfilling my perfectionist needs. I’m all about natural, but I’m not about compromising on cleanliness, spotless ovens, or smelly toilets.

Second Nature Botanicals launched New Zealand wide at the end of June, and man oh man do they tick all my boxes. I’ve seen many cleaning products that either smell so natural they make your house smell like a hippy shack, or say they’re natural, but have a lot of fishy small print.

All the good stuff:

- Made in New Zealand (at The Mount)

- Plant and mineral based ingredients

- 100% pure essential oils

- Vegan, and not tested on animals

- Made by hand

- Safe for kids, pets, and the planet

- Sustainable glass containers that are designed to be refilled to save money and the planet

Sometimes you’ll find products that have one of these great qualities, but compromise on the rest. Second Nature Botanicals have thought of it all, and are always considering more ways to reduce their footprint and save the world from single-use plastics.

One main reason I love Second Nature Botanicals products, is their pet friendliness. I have two pet birds that live out on our shoulders, so pet friendly products are super important for me. The birds often chill on the kitchen bench, so I love knowing their little feet won’t get itchy.

Second Nature Botanicals have created cleaners, perfume oils, home sprays, yoga mat sprays, and of course refills too. For the past month, I’ve been trialling three products. Here's my thoughts:

Most weeks, I wish I had buckets of this. This spray is a mix of lavender, chamomile, and cedar wood scents. I spray it on my pillow at night time, around my office in moments of frustration, and even use it as a sort of perfume, by spraying and walking through it on my way out the door (I haven’t owned a perfume for over a year, so drastic times call for drastic measures, but it works).

After using the spray for about a week, my husband, Tim, started religiously using it every night. It opened his airways, reduced his snoring, and helped him wake up in the morning without an itchy throat and sore sinuses.

This is an all-round essential for the home. I use it to clean all rooms in my house, and I love the fact I don’t have to own several different bottles for each purpose; why is that even a thing? It’s an essential oil blend of Manuka, lemon, orange, lavender, and eucalyptus. The organic cleaning spray is not over powering either; it gets the grime away and leaves a nice fresh scent that doesn’t make your head hurt. The bottle is 500ML and you can buy refills of 1L.

I must confess: I’m an irregular mopper. Perhaps it’s because I love the aesthetics of the shiny glass bottles and beautiful labelling, but I’ve been mopping much more since I’ve had this floor cleaner: the results are great. I fill a bucket of water and then add around 2 tablespoons of the concentrate to the bucket. The blend of citrus, Manuka, orange, and eucalyptus makes the place glow! I have wooden looking linoleum floors, but it works on wood, tiles, and laminate too.

One thing you should know about me, is I don’t share about brands that I don’t fully support. If products only suit half of my ethics, or they don’t fill a need in my life and ace their purpose, I simply won’t talk about them. Second Nature Botanicals are onto something incredible, and I’m so excited to see how they grow. I can imagine refill stations in super markets all over the country!! YES, PLEASE.

P.S. If you are in The Mount, you can refill your bottles at the local markets: more details to come on where you can find them!

A big thank you to the Second Nature Botanicals team for offering everyone $5 off when using code ETHICALLYKATE.

As a rule, I only work with brands I love, use, and can whole heartedly back. This is a sponsored blog (I can't pay my electricity bill with free natural beauty products), but 100% my own words, photos, and opinion.